Cozonac (Romanian Sweet Bread)

About This Recipe

Cozonac is the great Romanian celebration bread, baked for Christmas, Easter, and important family occasions. The dough is rich with eggs, butter, and milk, and the filling of ground walnuts, cocoa, sugar, and rum creates a swirling, aromatic interior that perfumes the whole house as it bakes. Making cozonac is a labor of love — the dough must be kneaded vigorously by hand for 30–45 minutes until it develops the gluten structure needed for its characteristic fluffy, pull-apart crumb. Romanian families take great pride in their cozonac recipe, passing it down through generations with notes scribbled in the margins.

Ingredients

Serves 12

• 1 kgall-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
• 300 mlwarm whole milk
• 25 gfresh yeast (or 7g instant yeast)
• 200 gsugar
• 5 largeeggs, room temperature
• 150 gunsalted butter, softened
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 1 tsplemon zest
• 1 pinchsalt
• 300 gwalnuts, finely ground
• 100 gcocoa powder
• 150 gsugar (for filling)
• 3 tbspdark rum
• 2 tbspwarm milk (for filling)
• 1 largeegg yolk, for egg wash
• 1 tbspmilk, for egg wash

Instructions

1. 1

   Activate the yeast

   Warm the milk to 37°C. Mix in 1 tablespoon of sugar and crumble in the fresh yeast. Stir and let stand for 10 minutes until foamy. If using instant yeast, mix directly with the flour.

2. 2

   Make the dough

   Beat 4 eggs with the remaining sugar until pale. Mix in vanilla and lemon zest. Combine flour, salt, yeast mixture, and egg mixture in a large bowl. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead vigorously for 30–40 minutes, gradually working in the softened butter, until the dough is smooth, glossy, and elastic.

3. 3

   First rise

   Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm spot for 1.5–2 hours until doubled in size.

4. 4

   Prepare the filling

   Combine ground walnuts, cocoa powder, filling sugar, rum, and warm milk in a bowl. Mix until a spreadable paste forms. Taste and adjust sweetness or rum as desired.

5. 5

   Shape the cozonac

   Divide the dough in half (for two loaves). Roll each half into a thin rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread filling evenly, leaving a 2 cm border. Roll up tightly like a Swiss roll, then twist the roll on itself and place in a greased loaf pan. Repeat for the second loaf. Cover and let rise for 30–45 minutes.

6. 6

   Bake

   Preheat oven to 175°C. Brush the tops with egg wash (egg yolk + milk). Bake for 45–55 minutes until deep golden brown. Cover loosely with foil if the top browns too quickly. A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean.

7. 7

   Cool

   Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing — this allows the crumb to set properly.

Variations

• •

  Turkish delight and crushed pistachios as filling instead of walnut-cocoa.

• •

  Poppy seed filling with lemon zest and honey.

• •

  Mini cozonac rolls for individual servings at Easter brunch.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Wrap in a clean kitchen towel and store at room temperature for up to 4 days. Freeze sliced for up to 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions